With offices in Bristol, Leamington Spa, London, Munich and Sheffield, Withers & Rogers are one of Europe’s largest dedicated intellectual property law firms. Established more than 130 years ago, we remain as passionate as ever about delivering the very best for our clients.

Withers & Rogers’ patent administration and secretarial staff play a truly integral role in facilitating the service we provide our clients, and we are currently seeking organised, enthusiastic individuals to join our team. We have more than one Patent Secretary position available, so we are open to applications from people looking for full-time, part-time (above 28 hours per week), permanent, or fixed-term contract roles!

Your Role

As a Patent Secretary, you will be responsible for providing full secretarial, PA and administrative support.

In this key role, you will:

– Prepare official forms for UK, European and international patent and design applications and some foreign patent applications
– File UK, European and International patent applications using standard procedures, including preparation of internal forms and memoranda on a cover basis
– Perform fast, accurate audio typing using an electronic audio system for the production of letters, emails and patent specifications
– Arrange UK and foreign travel (arranging travel, visas and accommodation)
– Organise diaries and prioritise appointments
– Deal with all incoming email and post correspondence
– Maintain and submit expenses

About You

To join us as a Patent Secretary, you will need:

– The desire to learn and a willingness to become involved in the work
– A proactive approach to work and the ability to think and problem-solve quickly
– Demonstrable experience of prioritising a heavy workload and managing time effectively
– Demonstrable experience of multitasking and forward planning
– Excellent organisational skills
– The ability to manage an Attorney’s emails, judge urgency and action as required
– A track record of generating standard procedures and templates for repeat tasks

Patent administration experience would be highly beneficial to your application.

The Benefits

– Competitive salary
– Benefits such as healthcare cash plan and additional holiday purchase scheme
– Flexible working options
– Positive and welcoming work environment

This is a fantastic opportunity for a well-organised individual, preferably in patent administration, to grow and succeed with our firm and provide an excellent service to our teams.

You will receive a comprehensive induction, as well as excellent training and support from colleagues to enable you to hit the ground running and make a success of your time with our firm.

With offices in Bristol, Leamington Spa, London, Munich and Sheffield, Withers & Rogers are one of Europe’s largest dedicated intellectual property law firms. Established more than 130 years ago, we remain as passionate as ever about delivering the very best for our clients.

We’re now seeking an EP Grant & Validation Formalities Assistant to join our team on a permanent, full time basis working from our London, Leamington Spa, Sheffield or Bristol offices.

Your Role

As the EP Grant & Validation Formalities Assistant, you will support patent applications, delivering a time critical, deadline driven service to both internal and external clients.

Providing key support to the EP Grant Formalities Manager and team, you will instruct French and German patent attorneys to prepare translations of the claims meeting the Rule 71(3) EPC requirements.

Filing French and German translations of the claims at the European Patent Office (EPO), you will pay official grant and printing fees using EPO Online Filing software, before reporting to, and invoicing, clients.

Additionally, you will also enter charges, prepare invoices and E-Billing, upload invoices and LEDES files to online portals and prepare grant estimates.

About You

To be considered as an EP Grant & Validation Formalities Assistant you will need:

– Knowledge and proven experience of the Rule 71(3) EPC and validation procedure
– Demonstrable experience of communicating effectively with staff of all levels and clients
– A proactive approach to work and the ability to think on your feet
– Demonstrable experience of prioritising a heavy workload and managing time effectively
– Demonstrable experience of multitasking and forward planning
– Excellent organisational skills
– A track record of generating standard procedures and templates for repeat tasks

Knowledge of using Patricia would be an advantage but is not essential.

The Benefits

– Competitive salary
– Flexible working options
– Pension plan with employer and employee contributions
– Healthcare scheme
– Give as you earn scheme
– Group life assurance
– Employee assistance programme and plenty of wellbeing support

This is an excellent opportunity to strengthen your existing legal administrative experience with one of the leading intellectual property law firms in Europe.

You will receive a comprehensive induction, as well as excellent training and support from colleagues to enable you to hit the ground running, rise to new challenges and succeed in your role.